Brick-cleaning machine



Nov. 8, 1927. 1,647,991

J. A. GRANT ET L. I

BRICK CLEANING MACHINE Filed July 5, 1924 4 Sheets-S he et 1 E! l INVENTOR an.) ,QQ I" BY k ATF RNEYS Nov. 8, 1927.

J. A. GRANT ET AL.

BRICK CLEANING MACHINE Filed July 5, 1924 4 SheetSSheet 2 a q- A ATTORNEY Nov. 8, 1927.

J. A. GRANT ET AL BRICK CLEANING MACHINE Filed July 5, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 FEE Nov. 8, 1927.

J. A. GRANT ET AL BRICK CLEANING MACHINE Filed July 5, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 px'llllllll W Q I INVENTCR MA l z Patented Nov. 8, 19 27.

y teaser UNITED STATES PATENT caries] BRICK-CLEANING mnoirrni Application filed Jur 5,

This invention relates to improvements in brick cleaning machines andhas for its object the reduction of a construction which will quic ly, economically and eiiiciently remove mortar, cement or other adhering material from the surfaces of bricks that have been used in construction work.

i an

- clamp.

Another object of our invention includes the production of a brick cleaning machine the material adhering to the brick to be cleaned a live hammer blow.

A further object embraces the provision of means for securely holding thebricks to be cleaned andwhich operate in conjunction with mechanism for advancing said brick in synchronism with the movement of the cleaning mechanism.

Other objects will appear hereinafter, and We attain these results by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which v 1 Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of a construction which embraces the principles of our invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof.

: Fig. 8 is an end view thereof showing the striker in raised position.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing a different type of brick clamp. m

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the portion shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a view of the brick clamp of Fig. 4, wherein the clamp operating finger is shown.

Fig. 7 is a view in elevation of one form of Fig.8jis a plan view thereof showing its attachment to the carrier chains.

Fig. 9 is a View of a different form of striker mechanism.

Like numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views. I

It is our prime object to provide a labor saving machine, which at the same time cleans bricks more quickly and eliiciently, than can be done by the tedious and laborious hand method, or by any cleaningmachine known to us. To thisend, we employ mechanism whereby the material to be removed from the bricks is givena sharp hammer blow by suitable mechanism, sheering down simultaneously on both of the flat faces of the" brick undergoing the cleaning process. The cleaning blow is heavy enoughtzto remove all adhering material from'the bricks 1924. Serial N0.;724.,200.

' am: A. ennniaor crrrcaeo, ILLINOIS, AND GEORGE arownv, or new YORK, it. it.

and it is deliveredquickly so that thepro I Vance into the cleaning position, where the cleaning mechanism imparts its hammer blow to the material to be removed, at intervals of about a second to as many bricks,

thus cleaning approximately fifty to sixty This speed, however, is. varied as occasion requires. The cleaned; bricks are automatically released from the bricks in a minute.

automatic gripping clamp in which they are held while undergoing the cleaning process. p a

As examples of speclficembodiments in constructions which involve the principles of our invention, we have shown, in the accompanying drawings, mechanism for carrying out our ObJGClZS of the inventlon. Sand mechanism comprises, in preferredform,

a suitable bed or frame 'l0 su'pported on standards 11. On to this bed are bolted, or otherwise fastened, cross arms 12 for supporting the brick conveyor frame 18 which carries the brick conveyor 14 and the uprights 15, 15 and 16, 16 for supportingthe cleaning and operating'mechanism.

The operating mechanism comprises a suitable drive shaft- 17supported in the standards 15, 15. This shaft carries ;a power element or pulley 18 at one end and a beveled pinion 19 at the other. The. bev

eled pinion 19 meshes with a similar pinion 20 on shaft 21 for driving the brick c011 veyor'l l by means of a chain 22 or its equivalent, operating on suitable sprockets '23 and 24. A suitable adjustment'screw 25 permits adjusting the conveyor to syn chronize with the cleaner mechanism, as will directly appear more fully. I

The conveyor comprises, in a preferred form, a pair of continuous link cliains 14: .14 having ear links 26 forfastening the brick carrying clamps 27 or 28 thereto at proper intervals. The brick clamps comprise means for receiving and holding the bricks While they are conveyed beneath the cleaning device or chopping.- mechanism 29 for being cleaned. Suitable formsof clamps are indicated bythe numeral in Figs. 4 or'5 and by 28inFigsgl, 2, and 81 Amy suitable clamp fwith the necessary operative devices. will sufliceto hold the br'icln In the formv represented by the numeral 27'tl1e base 31 is'fastened oirto the conveyor chains 14 -124 by the ears of links 26 and this base carries" a bracket arm 32 and spring 33; Arm32 isprovided with jaws 34; for receiving the lever arm 35, the latter being pivotally 'held on a pivot bolt 36. At one extremity of the lever arm 35 the clamping plate 37 is pivotally mounted by bolt 38. The other end of said arm is provided with a bearing roller 39 for engaging cam 40 to open the clamp at opportune times to receive or discharge the brick. The compression spring is held in place by any suitable means, as headsel and- 42, having holding pins 13 and The clamping plate 37 is preferably weighted as at 4:5 to overbalance the plate whenthe clamping jaw is opened by reason of the roller 39 engaging cam 10 to depress this'end ofjt-lie leverand to raise the plate holding end. The clamp is-thereby opened to receive the brick 45. *Thisaction takes place'at the end (A) of the conveyor; 'referrin for'example, t Figs 1' a '2 t this time a brick '(46) is placed in position so that the flat faces extend vertically and pass the striking planes of the cleaning mechanism, as'theconveyor carries the clamp and its imprisoned brick forward. The clamp closes immediately after receiving by reason of the limited length of the cam 40, as is well understood in the art. 'Whe re' clamps 28" are used, pins or .teeth 47; 47; hold the bricks in the'clamp while they are {carried forward toundergo cleaning as before: "The active or clamping pins are held in; closed position by springs 48 and they are opened by the cams P 49 or 49 bearingagainst the cam surface or roller 69, respectively to receive or to discharge the bricks before and after cleaning. Either type of clamp is carried on the conveyor chains 14-14 or their equivalent, as described above. These chains operate over suitable sprockets 71 and '72 and are driven'by the drive-chain 2am a proper speed so as to bring a clamp with its brick in position so that the verticle' faces of the brick pass through the striking planes of the cleaner with every revolution of the drive slialit 17 and its operating camsfiil, as will be more tully described hereinafter.

The brick cleaning'device comprises a pa'irfot parallel arms or shearing bars 51, oritheir equivalent, pivoted on'a pivot bar and rocked thereon by suitable cam construction 53 secured onthe drive shattlT to rotate therewith. The shearingfbars 51 are' spaced apart, at the brick cleaning end, a' distancesomewhat greater than the thick} ness of the brick and are so disposed as to simultaneously strike the .adhearing material ,50) on both sides of v the brick (46l-{asthey descend. This act-ion etfecltedbycut away portionvot the rotary cam members 53 passing the endsl5l o f the bars 51 thereby causing the cleaner to be elevated and p'ermitted?to drop on to the moving brick as its faces pass thest-riking planes of the cleaner. Suitable weights 55 onthe'ends of bars 51 and a retracting spring 56 serve to impart the proper hammer blow to'the material which is to be removed. This action causes the material to be removed cleanly and quickly and usually in large pieces.

If desired striker or shearing plates 59 may be provided on the etl'ectire ends of the cleaner arms 51. These plates may be prop erly tempered to resist wear and they are attached for easy replacement when worn or dull. Obviously, the weights 55 01 the tension of the retractor spring 56, or both may be varied to meet the condition the material which is to be removed. it In place of the cam operated striker just described, we may use the type illustrated in Fig. 9. Here the brick 461s cleaned by the shearing plates 73, one of which is shown. These plates are carried the cushioned plunger 7 1; which hasa pin engaging the elongated aperture 17$ in stem 17?. This stem is, therefore, cush-f ioned by a spring 17 8 in plunger when the assembly is operatcd on the supporting arm by awalking beam 76, lever 77 and cam 78. This cam operates in thecam surface 79 and causes the plates 73 to oscillate in the so-called striking planes of the cleaning mechanism described above." From what has been dis-closed, the operation of our brick cleaning machine is readily understood and is substantially 'as follows: The machine is driven from any suitable source of power through the agency of the pulley 1 8,which is operated at the desired rate of speed. This motion is'im parte d to shaft 1? and the attached pinion 19 and cams The rotary motion of cams 53 causes the cleaning mechanism and weight to be raised againstthe tension of spring 56 thereby c: using the weighted end or the cleaner to descend with force and to be tlieii again elevated; The conveyormechanism, with its spaced brick clamps, cause d ll) move in synchronism with the striker meehanism and'the brick holding clamps are 'so spaced that they in turn are beneath the striker so as to present the sides of th e brick to the striking bars. Bricksare placed in theopen clamps at A. Theelamps their close and carry thebricks into cleaning position, and as the sides of the br icksi'each the striking planes of" the cleaner arre t the cleaner descends and :strikes off the merit or cement from the sides of anthems 1 progress of which is not impelled thereby. As the cleaned brick reaches the discharge end or the conveyor, the holomg clamp is opened by a cam device similar'to. that at" h fwli semle at ire n e while thus gripped, and means "including" spaced devices for imparting a striking blow to said extraneous matter to remove 'the' same from said bricks.

2. Ina brick cleaning machine, the com" bination of means for temporarily gripping bricks to be freed from extraneous matter, means for imparting constant motion to said 7 bricks while thus gripped, and means ineluding pivoted arms spaced to strike the extraneous matter for imparting a hammer blow to said extraneous matter to remove the same from said bricks while the said bricks continue their forward travel.

3. In a brick cleaning machine, the combination of a brick cleaning device and means for operating said device intermit-' tently, a conveyor and means for operating said cleaning device and conveyor in synchronism, a plurality of clamps on said conveyor, and means for temporarily rendering ineffective said clamps to receive and to discharge said bricks.

4. In a brick cleaning machine, the combination of a. brick cleaning deviceand a conveyor, said cleaning device and conveyoracting in synchronism, of aplurality of brick clamps carried by said conveyor, means for opening said clamps to receive the bricks to be cleaned, means for holding closed said clamps, and means for intermittently rendering effective said brick cleaning device to disrupt foreign adhering matter from the brick.

5. In a brick cleaning machine, a base having a shelf extension, in combination with a brick cleaning device pivotally mounted on said base and a brick conveying mechanism mounted on said shelf, means for'moving said conveyor, means for intermittently oscillating said pivotally mounted brick cleaning device in synchronism with said conveyor, and means for intensifying the motion of said brick cleaning device to im part a hammer blow to the extraneous mat ter for removing the same from the brick.

6. In a brick cleaning machine, a base having a shelf extension, in combination with a brick cleaning device mounted on said base and a brick conveying mechanism mounted on said shelf, said device comprising a pair of cleaning jaws, means for moving said jaws upwards, and means for causing said jaws to strike a sharp blow to the extraneous matter on the sides of a brick to remove extraneous matter therefrom bodily.

7. In a brick cleaning machine, a base having a shelf extension, in combination with a brlck cleaning device mounted on said base and a brick conveying mechanism mounted on said shelf, said device comprising a pair of cleaning jaws, means for moving said jaws upwards, means for causing said jaws to impart a disruptive blow to the extraneous matter on the sides of a brick to remove the same therefrom bodily, spring clamped jaws for engaging said bricks while cleanechand cam surfaces for relaxing said jaws to receive or to discharge said bricks.

8. In a brick cleaning machine, a base having a shelf extension, in combination with a brick cleaning device pivotally mounted on said base and a brick conveying mechanism mounted on said shelf, means for moving said conveyor, means for intermittently oscillating said pivotally mounted brick cleaning device in synchronsm with the motion of the brick on saidconveyor, and a clamp for holding said brick While being cleaned, said clamp comprising a spring pressed arm, a cam engaging member on one end of said arm and a clamping plate on the other end of said arm.

p In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands. on this 3rd day of July A. D.,

JIM A. GRANT. GEORGE A. LOWRY. 

